Presently, portable transceivers of many types including cellular telephones, PCs, laptops, cordless phones, headsets, printers, PDAs, etc., are incorporated into wireless networks. These portable transceivers, such as Bluetooth devices, may contain digital devices to secure fast wireless transmissions of voice or data with worldwide compatibility. As a specification for a small-form factor, low-cost radio solution Bluetooth products, for example, may provide links between mobile computers, mobile phones and other portable handheld devices, and connectivity to the Internet. “Bluetooth” refers to a specification to standardize wireless transmission between a wide variety of devices such as PCs, cordless telephones, headsets, printers, PDAs, etc. Bluetooth creates a single digital wireless protocol to address end-user problems arising from the proliferation of various mobile devices that need to keep data synchronized and consistent from one device to another thereby allowing equipment from different vendors to work seamlessly together using Bluetooth as a “virtual cable”.
Bluetooth devices may be named according to a common naming concept. For example, a Bluetooth device may possess a Bluetooth Device Name (BDN) or a name associated with a unique Bluetooth Device Address (BDA). Bluetooth devices may participate in an Internet Protocol (IP) network as well. If a Bluetooth device functions on an IP network, it may be provided with an IP address and an IP (network) name. Thus, a Bluetooth Device configured to participate on an IP network may contain a BDN, a BDA, an IP address and an IP name. The term “IP name” refers to a name corresponding to an IP address of an interface.
802.11 (i.e., IEEE 802.11) is an alternative IEEE standard for wireless LANS and devices. Using 802.11, for example, wireless networking may be accomplished with a single base station supporting several devices without cables. Devices may come pre-equipped with wireless hardware or a user may install a separate piece of hardware, such as a card, that may function as an antenna.
In addition, Multiple Interface Devices (MIDs) may be utilized in such wireless networks. MIDs may contain two independent network interfaces including a Bluetooth interface and an 802.11 interface thus allowing the MID to participate on two separate networks as well as interface with Bluetooth devices. The MID may have an IP address and a common IP (network) name associated with the IP address.
Many networks lack an adequate means for efficiently maintaining address information on the various devices, or for providing communications between devices that use incompatible communications protocol. For example, higher data transmission rates might be achieved in an 802.11 network but a participating MID might first need to identify the receiving device and determine information on that device such as if that device is a MID, an 802.11 device or a Bluetooth device prior to determining the optimum connection path.
Presently, there is no convenient and efficient way to provide address correlation information to network devices containing a Bluetooth interface, for example, such that network performance may be optimized. Thus, there exists a need in the art for a method and system for managing device information such that optimum network characteristics or connection options would be effectively attainable.